Learners’ characteristics and the mastery of digital education during the COVID-19 pandemic in students of a medical faculty in Germany

Abstract

Background: In response to the spread of the coronavirus, educational institutions have been closed and digital education has become a new teaching method to ensure the continuity of medical education. Since this format was a new form of learning for students at medical faculties in Germany, little is known about the perception of it and the factors that contribute to successful mastery. The current study aimed to analyze students’ learning experiences during the first online semester and to identify associations between learners’ characteristics and enjoyment, mastery experiences, as well as the perceived stress level. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, students of a medical faculty from Germany answered an online questionnaire including information about perceptions towards digital education and learners’ characteristics (study skills and dispositions). Data were analyzed using multivariate linear regression analysis. Results: In total, 383 students responded to the online survey. A majority of students felt at least somewhat worse about their studies compared to before the pandemic. Success of study tasks was related to preferences for cooperative learning (B = − 0.063, p